


Growing Pains

by Athetos



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, fluff at the end, i know nothing about wings or flying sorry, mild body horror and blood, nothing too crazy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-02-23 07:39:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23708008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athetos/pseuds/Athetos
Summary: All her life, Glimmer had wanted nothing more than for her wings to grow in.  She finally gets her wish, but she had no idea it would be this painful.  Luckily, her girlfriend Adora is there to help nurse her back to health.
Relationships: Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra)
Comments: 20
Kudos: 83





	Growing Pains

Glimmer always admired her mother’s wings. They were translucent, with pastel feathers that were more light than solid, but were still strong enough to carry her thousands of feet into the air. And they were huge! Angella was an imposing enough figure on her own, but with her wings spread, nobody would dare to defy her (except for Glimmer herself, of course). As a child, she would stroke her mom’s wings, feeling the magic buzz against her fingertips, and wish her own wings would grow in soon, too. 

Glimmer was born with tiny pink nubs on her back, more vestigial decorations than anything else. Sure, they looked cute, but they were so flimsy and weak that most people assumed they were tattoos rather than actual wings. She hoped that as she grew older, her wings would grow with her, but apparently that wasn’t the case, as they had changed little over the course of the first twenty years of her life. All those pleading diary entries and birthday wishes for the gift of flight were wasted. 

Until now.

And Glimmer would do anything to take them back.

Angella, being a - well, an angel - had her wings grow in quickly and painlessly. Her wings were a physical manifestation of her magic, and didn’t have a need for mortal biology like bones and blood vessels. If a wing was injured, it would ache, but it was more of a phantom pain, like missing a part of your body that you never had to begin with. It was distant and dull and could be patched by healers and the Moonstone fairly quickly.

However, Glimmer is only half angel, and this led to some… complications. Namely, her wings weren’t supernatural, but instead flesh and blood. The nubs on her back were protruding bone, and her downy feathers weren’t an illusion. Nobody thought too much of this, as nobody had ever experienced this before - angels were very rare to begin with, and the idea of a human/angel offspring was unheard of. 

So Glimmer had no warning when she woke up in the middle of the night with a deep burning pain stemming from her upper back. The sensation was immediate and unfathomable. She flipped onto her stomach and bit down on her pillow, trying to choke back a sob. She had been awake only a few measly seconds and already her eyes stung with tears. 

“Glim? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Adora had startled awake, but was already alert and assessing the situation. Glimmer always envied how her girlfriend could wake up at the slightest provocation without drowsiness clouding her thoughts. Glimmer needed a solid half hour before she could even roll out of bed and blink the bleariness from her eyes.

“It hurts, ‘Dora. Something’s wrong.” Glimmer hated how weak and vulnerable she sounded at that moment. If she was with anyone else, she would be embarrassed, but her and Adora had seen each other at their lowest and she had nothing to hide from her.

“Where, love?” Adora sat upright and leaned over the queen, her hand falling to comb through her girlfriend’s pink and purple curls. Her voice was soft but urgent.

“My… my back. Right between my shoulders. Agh…” Hot tears carved twin trails down her face, quickly soaking her pillow. She bit harder, not wanting Adora to hear her pained moans. 

Cautiously, Adora slid her hand from Glimmer’s hair down to her back, and both girls gasped when her palm brushed against something hard and wet that was clearly not supposed to be coming out of the smaller woman. Adora snatched her hand to her chest like it had been shocked. 

“Oh, shit, that hurts _so bad._ ” Glimmer gave up trying to keep her sobs contained. “What’s wrong with me?” 

“I don’t know, Glim, but we’re going to find out. Can I turn the lights on?” Adora’s voice was much stronger and steadier than she felt, but she didn’t want to frighten Glimmer any more than she already was.

“Yes - yes, you can.” Glimmer tangled her fingers in her own hair.

Adora swiftly got out of bed, thankful that they had stayed in her room tonight (as she doubted Glimmer would have the ability to teleport them to the floor from her hanging bed right now) and flicked the light switch, hurrying back to her girlfriend’s side. She wasn’t entirely sure what she expected to see, but… this definitely wasn’t it.

“Adora?” Glimmer met the blonde’s gray eyes and wasn’t reassured by what she found in them. “What is it?” Then her gaze dropped to Adora’s shaking hand, and was shocked to find her fingers slick with blood. “I’m bleeding? Am I bleeding?!”

“Shh, it’s okay, you’re okay.” Adora stroked Glimmer’s cheek with her non-bloody hand and put on a brave face. “Your wings are growing in, starlight. Does anyone in the castle know what to do?” 

It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, and her purple eyes widened. “Oh. My wings… oh, I didn’t think… it shouldn’t _be_ like this, something’s wrong.. Ah…” She hissed in pain. “Maybe… my dad?” 

Adora lightly kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as possible, okay? You’re going to be alright, he’ll know what to do, and we can grab some healers. It’s gonna be okay.” She said that as much for her own comfort as for Glimmer’s. Beneath her trained soldier’s exterior, Adora was terrified.

She ran out the door and didn’t bother to close it behind her. Another wave of pain washed over Glimmer, and as her eyes rolled back in her head, the last thing she heard was Adora sprinting away from her. 

\---

The next few hours were a dreamlike blur. Glimmer drifted in and out of consciousness, her few waking moments spent squeezing Adora’s hand while strangers fussed over her. At one point she thought she could hear her father’s and Bow’s voices, but they sounded tinny and far away. The pain was ever-present, throbbing in time with her heartbeat. Her face felt flushed and sweaty and her eyes could only stay open for so long at a time.

When she finally woke up fully, it was once again dark outside. It must have been the following night. The pain made her grit her teeth, but it was no longer excruciating. She rolled her head to the side and saw Adora sitting beside her, cross legged and still in her pajamas, reading a book. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, and although her eyes were aimed at the pages in front of her, Glimmer knew she wasn’t processing anything that she read.

She tried to talk, but the words were thick and spongy, so the only noise that left her throat was a gurgly groan. 

Adora closed her book without marking her page and threw it on the floor beside her. “Glim! You’re awake. How are you feeling?” She scooted closer to her queen and rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb in gentle circles.

Glimmer cleared her throat, before managing a scratchy response. “I’ve felt better, that’s for sure.” 

Adora offered a small smile. “I can imagine… Oh! You probably want some water.” The princess reached over and grabbed a glass of water off the nightstand. She helped Glimmer struggle to sit back on her knees, and held the water out. Glimmer drank the entire glass, and found herself still thirsty. When has she ever been this thirsty in her life?

Adora read her mind. “Still thirsty? There’s a pitcher right here.” Without waiting for an answer, she took the glass back and filled it back up. Glimmer drained two more glasses before she had her fill. 

“So… what happened? What time is it?” The words felt jagged in Glimmer’s mouth, like the jutting bones from her back.

Adora took a deep breath. “Well, your wings are definitely coming in. There’s no doubt about it. We’re all kind of at a loss, because nobody’s seen this happen before - I mean, someone growing biological wings, not magical ones. The healers weren’t able to numb the pain completely, because your body is transforming at a really rapid pace. But once they’re finally fully grown, they can heal you completely and you’ll be good as new!” She squeezed Glimmer’s hand. 

“Rapid pace, huh?” Glimmer sighed. “Thank the First Ones that this will all be over soon. How many days do I have? Two?”

“Well…” Adora paled and held her hand tighter. “Two weeks, they think.”

“Two weeks?!” Glimmer groaned in despair. She could handle two days, but two weeks? The pain had been unthinkable, and even with the help of the healers, it was still agonizing. She wouldn’t be feeling well enough to do anything for a while other than lay in bed and shudder.

“I’m sorry, starlight.” Adora kissed Glimmer’s cheek, letting her lips linger against her skin. “Do you want to take a shower and change? The healers said it might make you feel better. I can change the bedding while you do that, and you’ll probably feel a lot more comfortable.” 

Change the bedding? Glimmer looked down at the bed for the first time since waking up, and felt dizzy. The white and gold sheets were stained with copious amounts of blood, the majority of it dried, but some spots were still fresh. 

“Am I still bleeding?” She tried to keep her fear out of her voice.

“You’ll probably bleed on and off until they’re full grown. Your body is… well, it’s being ripped apart, basically. It heals over very quickly, but it can’t change the fact that you’re growing new bones, muscles, and veins.” Adora kissed Glimmer again, this time on her forehead. “I’m so sorry, Glimmer. I know the pain must be unimaginable, and it must be so uncomfortable.”

Glimmer exhaled shakily. “It’s okay, Adora. I’ll get through this. I’ve been through worse, right? Can… you help me to the shower?”

\---

Glimmer emerged from the bathroom an hour later, having taken the longest shower of her life. At one point, she had kneeled on the floor and cried, praying that the noise of the running water would cover up her weeping. The clothes Adora had left out for her were a pair of her favorite comfy pajamas, with moon and star patterns. The shirt had two identical slits in the back, for her sore wings to fit through. Putting it on was a struggle, but she refused to ask Adora for help, not wanting her to see how much pain she was in. She wanted to be strong for her, and didn’t want her to worry. 

As Adora had promised, she had changed the bedding, the blankets and pillows now a lovely lavender color. As Adora had _not_ promised, however, both Bow and her father were standing in the middle of the room awkwardly. Upon seeing the queen, their faces lit up, and they tried speaking at the same time.

“Hey, Glimmer, how are you feeling?”

“Are you doing okay, angel?”

Glimmer shook her head, feeling unsteady on her feet and slightly nauseous. Almost immediately, Adora was by her side, lightly but firmly gripping her elbow. She ignored the two men and guided her towards the bed. 

“Let her sit down first, and get comfortable. She’s still in a lot of pain, and needs to rest.” Glimmer felt her heart glow; even though she would never admit it, she loved when Adora was protective and doted on her. 

She sat on the edge of the bed, with Adora on one side and Micah on the other. Bow stood in front of her, and gently took both of her hands in his own. “We were really worried about you, Glim. But the healers assured us everything will be okay. At least you’ll get an awesome reward out of this, right?”

Glimmer rolled her eyes. “I don’t think anything could be worth this type of pain. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. Except for Shadow Weaver. And Horde Prime. And maybe Double Trouble when they’re being annoying.”

Bow and Adora both smirked at that. Micah placed his hand on Glimmer’s knee in a very fatherly gesture. “I’m sorry, Glimmer. We had no idea it would be this painful, and happen like this… To be honest, we weren’t even sure if your wings would grow in at all. We would have warned you, if we could, and properly prepared.”

Glimmer felt sleepy, even though she had only been awake for less than a couple hours. “That’s okay, Dad. Nobody could have predicted this. I just want it to be over as soon as possible.” She rested her head on his shoulder, letting her eyes fall closed for a moment.

Bow got the message. “It’s okay, you’re probably exhausted, we should leave soon and come back tomorrow when you’re feeling a bit better.” He leaned in to hug his friend, but realized that might not be a good idea. He settled for a fist bump instead, Glimmer reciprocating weakly. Her father kissed the top of her head, and gave her a long spiel about how much he loved her, that Glimmer could barely pay attention to and which she only felt slightly guilty about.

After the pair left, Glimmer flopped onto her stomach, resigning herself to not being able to sleep on her back for the foreseeable future. Adora turned the lights off, and slid into bed beside her, only pulling the thick blankets up to Glimmer’s waist, not wanting to cover her newly forming wings. 

Glimmer sighed. “I wish you could be my big spoon tonight, but…”

Adora placed a comforting hand on her back beneath her wings. “I know, it’s not fair because all I want to do is cuddle close to you. Hm… what if you were the big spoon instead? We’d have to be careful, but it might work.”

Glimmer wasn’t usually the big spoon, but she wanted - no, she _needed_ Adora’s snuggles right now, and she would take them in whatever form she could get. “Okay, then get over here, babe.” 

Slowly shifting onto her side, Glimmer felt Adora press her back up against her, and wrapped her arms around the taller girl’s middle. Her arm was trapped beneath her, but it felt nice, so she didn’t mind. She buried her face in her long blonde hair, and kissed the back of her neck. “I love you, Adora. I’ll be strong.”

She couldn’t see Adora smile, but she could hear it in her soothing voice. “You’re the strongest person I know, Glim. You’re even stronger than She-Ra, when it comes to the things that matter. You’ll be okay, and these two weeks will go by quickly. I’m going to be by your side the entire time, and so will Bow and your father and all the other people who love you. And you’re going to have the most gorgeous wings in Etheria, so much so that all the birds would be jealous. I love you so much, starlight.”

Glimmer was crying again, but this time it wasn’t from pain. She held Adora as close as possible, and as she dozed off, she found herself thinking that she wouldn’t mind being the big spoon more often.

\---

“Are you ready, Adora?”

“Of course I’m ready! I’ve flown on Swift Wind before hundreds of times. I’m an old pro!”

To say Adora was enthusiastic was an understatement. The warrior was almost vibrating with anticipation. In some ways, Adora was more excited for Glimmer to try out her healed wings than she was herself. 

Glimmer had dreamt about this moment her entire life, and now, after so many years of fervent wishing, and weeks of pain, she was finally going to do it. She was going to fly. And best of all, she got to share this experience with the one person she loved most. 

She stretched her wings out as far as they could reach, her wingspan even longer than Adora was tall. She didn’t have to look over her shoulder to know that her feathers were sparkly and pink, and while they were very solid and very real, they had an almost ethereal quality to them. The pain had been banished thanks to lots of bedrest and the attentive touch of the healers, and now all she felt was an immeasurable sense of pride and wonder at her new limbs. 

They hadn’t entirely thought out how she would hold Adora while she flew. Adora was a lot taller than her, and while Glimmer was deceptively strong and could lift her girlfriend, all the positions she ran through her head seemed awkward. After some reconfiguration of body parts and lots of laughter, they settled with Glimmer holding Adora bridal style. 

The queen closed her eyes and breathed slowly in and out, preparing herself mentally and physically for the flight. “Okay, I think I’m ready.”

“Wait! You forgot something!”

Glimmer started to ask her what, but was cut off by the soldier pressing her lips against her own. They were soft and strawberry sweet and Glimmer returned the kiss eagerly, only pulling away when both women were breathless.

Adora smirked. “Okay, _now_ you’re ready.”

Feeling much less nervous now, Glimmer took a few steps forward and flapped her wings, then again, and again. She concentrated so hard on her actions that she almost didn’t realize it when her boots left the ground, and then she flapped even harder, elation causing her heart to swell. _I’m doing it! I’m really doing it!_

She looked down and saw the ground getting farther and farther away, and was surprised to find that she didn’t feel lightheaded at all. Soon, they were at tree-height, and before long, they had flown even higher than the castle’s towers. Adora had been completely silent, but as they climbed even higher, she whooped with joy, punching the air with a fist.

“We’re doing it! Glimmer, you’re amazing! This is incredible!”

Glimmer snorted. “I thought you were an old pro!”

“I am! But it’s completely different when you’re in a beautiful woman’s arms!” She winked at the queen, and Glimmer’s face heated up. _How did I get so lucky to end up with someone like her?_

They flew over the woods in a lazy circle, Adora pointing out things of interest down below. Glimmer found that she no longer needed to focus so hard on keeping themselves airborne, and the flapping of her wings came naturally, without thinking. 

“It was worth it.” Glimmer spoke loudly so her voice could be heard over the wind.

“What was?” Adora turned her eyes away from the ground to give her a look of complete adoration.

“The pain. It was worth it. To be able to do this, with you.” 

Wordlessly, Adora leaned in to kiss her on the lips once more, and Glimmer didn’t even care where they were flying, just as long as Adora was in her arms.

_Yeah, it was definitely worth it._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed, consider leaving a comment or kudos! Stay healthy!


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